Josef Albers, one of the most influential artist-educators of the twentieth century, was a member of the Bauhaus group in Germany during the 1920s. In 1933 he came to the United States, where he taught at Black Mountain College for sixteen years. In 1950 he joined the faculty at Yale University as chairman of the department of design. Albers was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1968 and was professor emeritus of art at Yale until his death in 1976. Nicholas Fox Weber is executive director of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation.
“Interaction of Color, the landmark 1963 book by Josef Albers, . .
. isn’t just for aspiring artists. Its mesmerizing illustrations
are a revelation for anyone interested in color theory and human
perception.”—Pilar Viladas, New York Times
“One of the most beautiful books in the world. . . . Interaction of
Color is not solely for artists, though generations of them
certainly owe Albers a debt. It is for anyone who wants to get
under the hood and understand why and how we see the world the way
we do. . . . A visionary work.”—Malcolm Jones, Newsweek
“For the historical insight and lucidity our color-drenched era
could definitely use, the 50th-anniversary edition of Interaction
of Color, by the Bauhaus-bred artist and teacher Josef Albers, is
especially worth examining.”—Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic
“The most comprehensive and intelligent . . . book we have yet on
this subject. It is an indispensable volume for the artist,
architect, or teacher who finds a greater challenge in discovery
than in a ‘safe’ color system.”—Architectural Forum
“In his single book . . . Josef Albers presents what would be
equivalent to a complete course on colour theory.”—Inkbot
Design
“Anyone who is teaching himself any aspect of design will be
cheating himself and his students if he fails to come to grips with
this book. . . . This volume, with its sequence of lessons learned,
perceptions achieved, and (therefore) powers mastered, is more than
a landmark in design education: it is the geological trace of a man
who is himself a landmark in design education.”—Industrial
Design
“The publication of this famous book in paperback is an event. . .
. It is clearly written and easy to understand. . . . This book
ought to be owned by any serious student or teacher, regardless of
the kind of painting he does.”—The Artist
“The book that influenced me the most is Interaction of Color by
Josef Albers. It helped me to learn about colour.”—Orla Kiely, Elle
Decoration
“I think this is possibly the most important book ever written
about colour.”—Robin Foley, Image Interiors & Living
“By the end of the book you will better understand the effects of
colour intensity, temperature and more.”—Artists & Illustrators,
“21 Must-Read Art Books”
Selected as a 2007 AAUP University Press Book for Public and
Secondary School Libraries
“The text of Interaction of Color provides the careful reader with
the content of Josef Albers’s famous color course. His teaching is
based on learning by direct perception, not by theories or color
systems. There are many books on color on the market, but no one
combines eyesight with such profound insight as Josef Albers does
in Interaction of Color.”—Hannes Beckmann
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